What is this place

Photo Élysée is Lausanne’s cantonal museum of photography, now part of the Plateforme 10 arts district a few minutes from the main station. It stages major temporary exhibitions and regularly showcases Switzerland’s largest photography holdings.

Key features

  • Founded in 1985 by journalist-curator Charles-Henri Favrod; since June 2022 based at Plateforme 10.
  • Building by Aires Mateus, shared with design museum mudac.
  • Collection of over 1.2 million phototypes from the 1840s to the digital era.
  • Plateforme 10 – a ~25,000 m² arts campus by Lausanne CFF with restaurants, bookshops, auditoriums and a public esplanade.
  • A combined Plateforme 10 ticket covers Photo Élysée, mudac and MCBA.

What to see

  • Large-scale temporary shows of classic and contemporary photography.
  • Rotating “from the collection” displays.
  • The new building’s architecture and Plateforme 10’s shared public spaces with cafés and bookshops.

History

Created in 1985 as Switzerland’s first fully photography-dedicated museum, Photo Élysée long occupied an 18th-century mansion on Avenue de l’Élysée. In 1988 the supporting Fondation de l’Elysée was established.

After closing its old site in 2020, the museum reopened at Plateforme 10 in June 2022 in a joint building with MUDAC (Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts) designed by Francisco and Manuel Aires Mateus. Since June 2022 the director has been Nathalie Herschdorfer.

Practical information

Location: Place de la Gare 17, Plateforme 10 campus, Lausanne – next to Lausanne CFF station.

Getting there: 2–4 min on foot from Lausanne CFF; metro M2 to Lausanne-Gare, then follow Plateforme 10 signs.

Access: Step-free building with lifts and adapted restrooms; folding seats available on request.

Visiting hours: Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat/Sun 10:00–18:00, Thu 10:00–20:00, Tue closed; special dates per Plateforme 10 schedule.

Visit duration: 60–90 min for exhibitions; 2–3 h including the district and cafés.

Best time: Weekday mornings for quieter galleries; Thursday late opening.

Notes: Plateforme 10 combined ticket covers all three museums; talks and screenings are held in the campus auditoriums.